The Cactus Creek Challenge (26 page)

“Can we touch it?” Eyes round as cookies.

He gave them each a long, assessing look. “You can this once, but—and you listen to me carefully on this one—the only reason I’m letting you touch a gun is because I’m here holding it. You are never, never,
never
to touch a gun without an adult’s permission. Understand?”

Their heads bobbed like ducks on a pond. Two small, grubby hands reached out and touched the blue-black barrels and the shiny wooden stock.

“Now, you boys scamper back to school. When you’re grown-up lawmen, maybe you’ll have eight-gauges of your own, and heaven help the bad guys then.” He tousled their hair, earning him face-stretching grins, and watched as they followed the other students down the center of the street toward the white schoolhouse a quarter of a mile to the west.

“Thank you. That was nicely done.”

Mr. Franks shrugged. “I have kids of my own.”

Cassie readjusted her thinking to include a wife and family for Mr. Franks.

Ben’s lips were set in a firm line, and his eyes flicked from Franks to Cassie and back. Her chin came up. If he thought he could take over her job, he had another thing coming.

“Captain, if your men would load the cart, we can get it covered and locked up.”

The four soldiers with him set their rifles aside and latched onto the handles of two of the strongboxes. Their faces reddened and the muscles in their necks went rigid as they small-stepped with their load toward the baggage cart.

Ralph removed his visor and smoothed his hair. “You might want to make a couple of trips. Those boxes look awfully heavy, and that cart’s seen better days.”

“No, the fewer trips the better.” Cassie tugged the canvas sheet over the boxes. “We’re going to be conspicuous enough.”

“Are you sure?” Ben shook his head. “That cart looks like it’s about to collapse.”

“It will be fine. Shouldn’t you be at the school?” Why was everyone suddenly second-guessing her?

The captain tugged his gloves up higher. “Men, two of you pull, two of you push. Mr. Franks and I will walk ahead and behind. Put your rifles on the cart where you can get to them easily.”

“And I’ll be on guard, too.” Cassie knifed her way into their conversation. What was it going to take to get a little respect around here?

The cart creaked alarmingly as they edged it down the ramp at the end of the platform and turned it toward town. Cassie forced herself not to look at the canvas lump on the flatbed but to keep sweeping the doorways and windows and sidewalks for any sign of trouble. Of course, Ben, at her side, was doing the same thing.

“Ben, I can handle this. You shouldn’t be here. You’re breaking the contest rules. And you promised to only interfere if there was a reason.” She spoke out of the corner of her mouth, keeping her voice low.

“This
is
a reason. I’ll go back to the school as soon as the gold is under cover.”

At that instant, the cart, still a good thirty yards away from the jail, gave a loud groan, a ghostly shriek of metal, and a death rattle before subsiding in a heap of splinters and bent wheels. The strongboxes slid from under the canvas, tumbling in a heap on the ground.

Perhaps strongbox wasn’t the best description, as the one that had been on the top of the pile crashed to the ground on one corner and sprang open, spilling gold bars into the dirt with dull thuds.

Everyone stood still as the dust settled. Sunshine gleamed off the gold, and the canvas flapped gently in the breeze.

The noise brought people outside.

“Look at that. Is that …? Gold?” Footsteps and voices joined as it seemed every store and business along the street emptied. A circle formed around the junk pile that had once been a baggage cart as the soldiers dug their rifles out of the wreckage.

Carl Gustafson, wiping his hands on a flour sack apron, reached them with long strides. “You need some help here?”

“Everything’s under control.” Cassie faked a smile, though her chest felt caved in. What had she done insisting on making one trip?

Hobny and her father arrived, eyes wide, along with at least a dozen others. “Cassie?” her father asked. “What’s going on here? I thought the idea was to
not
draw attention to what was going on.” He kept his voice subdued, though why, she didn’t know, since everyone could see the gold.

“Do you think I meant for this to happen? If I wanted this many people to know what was going on, I would’ve posted it in the newspaper.”

“Cass, let us help you.” Ben took her arm.

She jerked it away. “I can take care of this. I have it all planned out.”

“Sure you do, but plans have a way of going off the rails from time to time.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“Fine.” Fire blazed in his eyes. “You’ve got it all under control. You’ve got it all planned out. You don’t need any help. But at the moment, the one secret you were in charge of keeping is sprawled all over Main Street.”

Her eyes and throat burned, but she refused to give in. “If you don’t have anything better to do than point out my flaws to every passerby, then you can just leave, thank you very much.” She put up her hands and moved the encircling crowd back. “All of you go about your business. Move back.” People politely backed away, though it appeared they were having a hard time pulling their eyes away from the riches on the street.

When she got to the Shoop brothers, they refused to budge.

“Move along, boys.”

“It’s a free country, and this is a public street. I can stand here all day if I want to.”

“There’s nothing to see here.” She held on to her temper as best she could.

“I think there
is
something mighty interesting to see around here. Lookit all that gold!” Melvin Shoop scratched his ribs and spat on the ground. “Where you taking it? And who’s it for?”

Alvin elbowed him. “I could use me some of that there shiny metal, that’s for sure. I ain’t never seed nothing so pretty in all my born days. Maybe we should take some of it off yer hands.” His eyes glowed as if he were in a trance, never wavering from the gold.

The captain barked orders to his men, who jumped to work, hefted the two undamaged boxes, and headed toward the jail.

“Guess we can help ya clean up the streets,
Miss Sheriff
, for a fee.” Melvin spit again and took a step around Cassie, reaching for a gold bar. The smell of drink made her want to gag.

Her gun came out, and she cracked him across the wrist with the barrel. He howled, leaping back and holding his forearm.

“Did you see that? She hit me.”

She stood her ground, though her insides quaked. “You’re drunk again, Melvin. You and your brother get back like I told you, or you’re going to get worse than a whack on the arm.”

His eyes blazed, and he snarled. “No puny woman’s going to tell me what to do. I aim to get me a look at that gold. I ain’t never seed a real gold bar before, and I aim to heft one to see what it feels like.”

“Melvin, I’m warning you one more time, get back. You’re not laying a finger on that gold, now or ever. Understood?”

He swayed, breathing beery fumes into the morning air. Alvin, at his shoulder, glared at her, and they took a step forward.

An ominous click arrested the assemblage. “The lady said stand back.”

She dared a glance over her shoulder. Randall Franks had moved to stand astride the glacier tongue of gold spilling from the broken box, the eight-gauge looking like a mountain howitzer in his grip. Beside him, Ben had his gun drawn, his face a mask of controlled anger.

The Shoop brothers froze. “We’s just trying to help.” Alvin’s whine was like sandpaper on skin.

“That won’t be necessary. Go about your business.” His flat tone brooked no argument and left Cassie with the feeling that she might see the Missouri mule/grizzly bear action of the shotgun at any moment.

Two of the soldiers trotted toward them, returning from the jail. Lifting two bars each, they headed back the way they’d come. Ben studied the crowd as they backed up slowly.

Cassie eased to Randall’s side to make sure she wasn’t in the way of his aim. “I think you scared them off.”

He jerked his chin, keeping his steely gray eyes on the Shoop brothers as they sauntered over to stand under the awning in front of the photographer’s shop. Neither went inside, but they kept their distance.

When nothing lay in the street but broken baggage cart parts, Cassie swallowed hard. Carl stood with Jenny in the doorway of the livery, and he approached again, slowly, his hands in plain sight. “Cassie, I’ll take care of the cart if you want. You and the … this gentleman will be wanting to get down to the jail, no doubt.”

“Thank you, Carl.”

When they reached the jail, there was hardly any room to stand. Soldiers and town councilmen crowded together. The only councilman not present was Ben’s father, who as an ex-lawman might’ve been some help in the current situation. Instead, her father and Mr. Jones stood by the open cell door contemplating the gold and sending her uncertain looks, as if now that the treasure was here, they were having second thoughts as to her ability to protect it.

Mr. Franks took charge, giving Cassie a chance to gather herself. She carefully didn’t look at Ben, knowing he would still be mad and that he had every right to be.

“Captain, the train’s going to leave soon. You and your men should get back to the depot.”

The officer agreed. “We’re leaving Corporal Shipton here, as per orders. He’s yours to command, but he got orders to be on the eastbound train forty-eight hours from now. Our squad is being transferred up to Fort Laramie at the end of the week.”

Mr. Franks shook the captain’s hand. “I plan to be on that train myself. The minute I turn this gold over, I’m headed back to Dallas.”

“Sheriff.” Cassie looked up, but the captain was shaking Ben’s hand instead of hers. The knot in her stomach tightened.

Without even a glance her way, the military marched outside, leaving behind a ruddy-cheeked young man who held his rifle against his shoulder as if in formation.

Closing the door after a quick check outside, Mr. Franks raised his eyebrow at the corporal. “At ease, soldier.”

Cassie tried to regroup. “Gentlemen, thank you for your assistance out there on the street, but I’m sure we have things well in hand now. Ben, you should be at the school. The children will be running wild by now. Dad, Mr. Jones, I’m sure you have plenty to do. I’ll be down with the key after a while.”

“Now, Cassie”—her father took her arm and led her a little away from the group—“you have to admit that what happened out there changes things. I think maybe it’s time to set the Challenge aside, at least for a few days.”

Pain lanced her heart. Her own father was considering withdrawing his support of her. He’d never raised a hand to her in her life, but she felt just as if he’d smacked her.

“Dad?”

“Hey, kiddo, you’ve done a good job.” Ben stepped forward, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Nobody would say you haven’t. But this is serious business, especially since now the gold isn’t a secret. Your father is right. It’s time we called it quits and went back to our real jobs.”

“No. It isn’t. And don’t call me ‘kiddo.’ I can do this, especially since Mr. Franks has proven himself to be so capable. Nobody would brace that gun, and with Jigger and the corporal, the gold is as safe as it can be. We’ll lock it up, and Hobny will put the key in his safe. The plan will go forward, and forty-eight hours from now, a delegation will come and take the gold off our hands. I can’t quit now. I
won’t
quit now.” She backed up against the desk, facing six men who all wanted to declare her a failure.

Randall Franks, cradling the shotgun, eased out of the line and sauntered over to stand beside her. “Gentlemen, I only know the barest of facts about this little Challenge you’ve cooked up here, but I think the lady deserves a chance. She certainly showed her mettle standing up to those two idiots out there. The gold is as safe as we can make it, and maybe she’s right—that little show of force out on the street should give folks pause about coming through that door. It wasn’t particularly reasonable to assume that nobody would get wind that the gold was here. Not with the telegrams and the soldiers and nosy folks being what they are.”

Gratitude shot through her, and she straightened a little. “It will be all right, Dad.”

Skeptical looks all around. “Daughter, this is the last time we rethink this. One more reason for concern, and it’s over.” They reluctantly filed out, Ben going last and shooting a “we’re not done discussing this and you’re so going to get it” look over his shoulder as he went.

When the door closed behind them, Cassie sagged against the desk and dragged her hands down her cheeks.

“Thank you for siding with me, Mr. Franks.” She blew out a big breath.

“Call me Rand. I’m not sure I’ve done the wise thing, but you were pretty brave out there. I thought you deserved a chance to prove yourself. Anyway, we’ve got lots of firepower in here.” He patted the shotgun. “Let’s get the gold locked up.”

Cassie picked up one of the gold bars on the desktop, surprised at the weight. “I guess I thought it would be coins. Currency not bricks.”

“Not my decision, though bricks are harder to steal and harder to divide once they’re stolen. Easier to see when one’s missing, and heavier than lead to tote around. You can’t fill up your pockets with gold bars and run away too fast. And a dozen of these in your saddlebags will slow you down, too.” Rand lifted one in each hand and headed for the jail cell where the two remaining strongboxes sat.

As he passed her, she caught a whiff of shaving soap and leather. He wore a brown duster that swayed as he walked, exuding masculinity and capability.

“I’ll see about getting another box, but for now, we can either stack them on the ones that are left or put them on the floor.” She entered the cell behind him and waited until he put his bricks on the top box before setting hers next to them. “I’d planned to chain the boxes to the floor as well and had Jigger put these eyebolts in.” She indicated the chains coiled on the bunk and the shiny, new eyebolts driven into the puncheon floor.